Elizabeth Bagshaw Elemantary School

Each week The Hamilton Spectator presents a page of news from local schools. It’s a page for students by students. Today, we feature Winona Elementary School located at Winona Road and Highway #8 in Winona and Elizabeth Bagshaw Elementary located at 350 Albright Road, Hamilton.

Elizabeth Bagshaw School
Junior Kindergarten to Grade 8
350 Albright Road
Hamilton ON, L8K 5J4
Phone Number: (905)561-9520
Fax Number: (905)561-7461

Pulse Facilitator: Mrs. Laura Romano

If I were…
Arbaaz Patel, Grade 6

If I were a soccer ball, used regularly, dirty and squished in the shed, I would be waiting to be used again. In the old and dark shed, I live with a football, a basketball and two tennis rackets. There is a lot of garbage in the shed. I belong to two children and I am their favourite thing to play with. There is a dog that always comes into the shed, it always licks me. The dog likes me a lot too. Even though I live in a dark shed and am sometimes forgotten about, my owners care a lot about me. Whenever the kids go on a trip, either close to their house or far away, I am always taken along so they can play around with me after they have reached their destination. Every time I get flat, the children pump me back up. I have hexagon shapes that are coloured blue and dark orange. I am really important to the children. If I were ever lost, which I once was, the children would put signs up everywhere and because of that I like my owners a million times better than my friends in the shed.

LIGHTS...CAMERA...ACTION
Miss Schaefer, Media 7, 7/8, 8

The grade seven and eight classes at Elizabeth Bagshaw were given the opportunity through Director’s Cut Technology facilitators to create their very own claymation movies. The students were provided Apple Laptops, digital video cameras, and technical assistance during the six hour workshop. They had spent the previous three weeks in their media classes developing plot lines, characters, storyboards, sets, and scripts in preparation for the day’s shooting. After photographing hundreds of ‘still shots’, they added movie credits, sound effects, background music, special effects, and dialogue before their movies came to life.

Their movies will be shown on CBC‘s “Outlook” airing Saturday mornings throughout the year. Next May, every student who took part will attend the Film Festival where all the movies will be screened and judged. Perhaps some future animators will have started their careers through this exciting and rewarding experience.

What is In the Basement?
Jessi Jennings and Katarina Gligoric, grade 5

The doorbell range as McKenzie Smith and her little sister, Hannah finished their waffles. It was their babysitter, Gabby. McKenzie’s mother kissed her two girls and took off for work. Gabby looked at the two little girls she was watching for the day and said, “We are going for a walk in the park!”

“Sound’s good!” Hannah said with a sparkle of excitement in her eyes. McKenzie turned to Gabby and said, “Look at my new necklace!” Hannah’s eyes got wider as she said, “I wish I had one…” Gabby said, “That is a pretty necklace. Oh by the way, feel free to invite a friend to come with you to the park”, then they continued to get ready to go outside.

The two little girls and Gabby strolled along on this beautiful, sunny day. Mrs. Filtol, the girls’ neighbour was at the park too with her granddaughter and noticed McKenzie’s beautiful necklace. “Oh! What a lovely necklace! It would be just perfect for my little granddaughter!”

McKenzie just smiled at Mrs. Filtol, and held on to her necklace protectively. Then, they ran into Mr. Snoogledip, the jewelery store owner. He took one look at McKenzie’s necklace, coughed twice and said “Nice necklace. It would look great on my miniature dachshund, Dashy.” With that, he curled his hands together and he walked away very briskly.

As McKenzie swung on the monkey bars at the park, her enemy Casey from school walked by eying the necklace with her nose in the air. “New necklace, McKenzie? It would look sooo much better on me. Huh!”

After they came back from the park Gabby started making macaroni and cheese for lunch. In the meantime, Hannah begged McKenzie to try on the necklace in McKenzie’s upstairs bedroom. “Oh OK!” McKenzie said. She gave Hannah the necklace and went down stairs. Then Hannah excited to be wearing the necklace, danced and sang. “WOW, it is hot in here!” She opened the window in the bedroom for air and put away the necklace and went downstairs.

Later on, in the evening, McKenzie looked in her jewelery box for her necklace and to her surprise, found it missing! She started to panic and screamed to her sister, “Haaanaaah!!!! Where’s my necklace?” “I put it back in your jewelery box!” Hannah replied. Then she called Gabby to help her with a frantic search for her necklace.

“Look!!” Gabby shouted. “There is a rope leading out of the bedroom window!” “I am calling 911!” Gabby said. “No!” said McKenzie, “I want to solve this mystery myself!” And with that, McKenzie re-inspected the area. She discovered a short, stubby black hair on her jewellery box. “That is strange; no one in this house has short, black hair. Hannah and I have blonde, curly hair and Gabby has red hair. This is very strange.”

They went outside the window and discovered the rope lead to nowhere. “Oh no, now what are we going to do?” asked Hannah. “Come with me!” said McKenzie, “Let us go back inside and look for clues.”

“Wait,” said Hannah, “Did not that Mrs. Fitol find your necklace very lovely, and wanting it for her granddaughter?” “Yes,” said Gabby. “I bet you she would have stolen it.” “Yes,” said McKenzie, “and Mr. Snoogledip liked it too, and he is a jewelery store owner!!” “What about,” Hannah interjected, “that snot-nosed Casey who thought it would look so much better on her than on you.” “They are ALL suspects! How do we know who it is?” said Gabby, frustrated. “What about the short, black hair? Which one has short black hair? “They ALL do!!” said McKenzie.

“Mrs. Fitol has grey and black short hair, buzzed around her ears, Mr. Snoogledip is nearly bald with a little black hair at the back of his head, and Casey has black hair with short bangs in the front”, McKenzie logically figured out.

“We need more evidence,” said McKenzie. “What is this?? There is a dark hand print on your bright, pink door, McKenzie!” said Hannah. “That is a big hand print – much too large for Casey’s hands or Mrs. Fitol’s hands…” “And look here, dark footprints leading out of the bedroom!” said Gabby. “Let us follow the footprints”, said Hannah very excitedly.

The footprints led the girls to the basement. It was very dark and the light switch did not work. Gabby grabbed a flashlight and the girls tiptoed down the basement. They heard a noise, turned around and screamed!

There was Mr. Snoogledip, trying to escape out the window! “Get him! Get him!” cried Hannah. Gabby jumped out of the window, and being considerably smaller and faster than Mr. Snoogledip, caught up with him easily.

“What are you doing with my necklace?” cried McKenzie, “why did you steal it?” “You dumb girls! You have no idea how precious that necklace is! It belongs on my teeny tiny Dashy’s neck. Not on YOU!!!” McKenzie started giggling. “What’s so funny??” said Mr. Snoogledip. “I still have the price tag on my necklace. Take a look for yourself,” said McKenzie.

His hands shook as he looked carefully at the price tag on the necklace. “Oh! No…” Mr. Snoogledip fainted with shock. The price tag read, “One dollar and 19 cents.”

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Book club members from left to right: Shayla Pinnock, Carolyn Falardeau, Anam Zafar, Tiffany Dissanayake, Kristina Blaskovic

Elizabeth Bagshaw’s ELL (English Language Learner) book club has chosen the book Shabash! by Ann Walsh. Shabash in Punjabi and Urdu means good job. We have chosen the book to discuss the main themes of discrimination and fairness.

The book takes place in 1980 in British Columbia and is about an 11 year old Indian boy wanting to join a minor league hockey team. We predict the main character will face prejudice and stereotyping. We predict we will be presented with several cultural differences between a white, rural community and a Sikh community.

Our connection to the book is what some of our families faced when we came to Canada. We look forward to learning about each others cultures and stereotypes as we read Rana’s story.

Grade 7 and 8 editing decisions

Grade 7 and 8 movies comes to life as student Carolyn Falardo works.

Grades 7 & 8 students; Shayla Pinnock, Carolyn Falardeau, and Paige O'Rourke set up to animate.

Grade 7 and 8 students; Shayla Pinnock, Carolyn Falardeau, and Paige O'Rourke editing credits.

The Haunted Pumpkin
Charlene Blake

Chapter 1

It was a peaceful day. Farmer Rob was in his garden. Montana came over like she always does to check on Farmer Rob. So we wanted to go to where he was growing pumpkins “that is so cool” I said.

Then I and Farmer Rob and Caitlen went inside. Montana stayed out. Farmer Rob told Montana to water the pumpkins. Montana said “ok”. Farmer Rob said stay here Charlene and Caitlin, and he went upstairs. Then Montana came in and yelled “I watered the pumpkins”. We said “he went upstairs”. Montana said “ok”.

Then it was night. We all went home. But when we got home it was not peaceful anymore!! The pumpkins came to life!! Well one did, but it was so scary. Question was how did this happen?

Chapter 2

Cars were crazy. The pumpkin was shedding and making its self more scary. Every where it walked it made the plants die. Kids were screaming like crazy. So Caitlin and I were finding out who? We were thinking “Montana”, Caitlin said and I said Farmer Rob!! Caitlin said “no way”, he went upstairs. “Ya you are right”. So we went to Montana. All she said was “I found this strange water”, THAT IS IT!!!!! The water, but how are we going to destroy it? Caitlin said. I said I know a way. So we were squishing all the normal pumpkins. And the haunted pumpkin died in pain.

Ben Houston

Mrs. Connon-Zdero’s Grade 6 class

If I were a crocodile with large, scary teeth, living in the fresh water waiting for my next meal, I would be hiding so no one would see me coming. There are many large animals that I enjoy eating when they come to the water’s edge for a drink. I grab the animal’s leg and I pull it into deeper water, spinning it like a top until the animal is suffocated. It is now time for the feast to begin. All my friends join me as we pull off lumps of flesh. We just swallow because we do not have proper teeth to chew with. If you try to share our feast and you are not my friend, I will make hissing sounds and start a fight. The battle ends only when one is defeated. Once the feast is over, it may be days before I catch another meal. So I will just wait.

Kyra Giglione

Mrs. Connon-Zdero’s Grade 6 class

If I were a piece of bubble gum in bubble gum ice cream, I would be waiting for the right person to pick me. I would be scooped up and pressed into a cone. I would be licked, eaten and chewed. Anyways, let us stop talking about my wish and let me tell you more about me. I live in an ice cream tub with several different flavour beside me: Cotton Candy, Cookie Dough, Chocolate Mint and Tiger Stripe. Many people ask for Bubble Gum ice cream but I never get picked. Lots of my bubble gum friends are always leaving and are taken outside. One day a 10 year old girl came in with her father. She asked for Bubble Gum ice cream. Thinking I would not be picked, there I was in the scooper getting pressed into a waffle cone. As she was licking the ice cream she would start to eat the bubble gum. As soon as she was about to eat me, I fell right onto the table. As I was waiting for her to realize it turned out that when she was finished her cone, she left. There I was alone again. As the ice cream around me was melting, I was slowly feeling warmer and warmer. I kept waiting and waiting, but no one came for me.