Newtown shooting survivors go back to school The Newtown schools superintendent says preparations have been made for a "normal" day, yet it will likely be anything but that when classes resume for Sandy Hook Elementary School students for the first time since a gunman killed 20 of their classmates. With their original school still being treated as a crime scene, the students will begin attending classes at a refurbished school in the neighboring town of Monroe on Thursday. Law enforcement officers have been guarding the new school, and by the reckoning of police, it is "the safest school in America." Still, Newtown Superintendent Janet Robinson said officials will do their best to make the students feel at ease. "We will go to our regular schedule," she said. We will be doing a normal day. On Wednesday, the students and their families were welcomed at an open house at their new school, which was formerly the Chalk Hill Middle School in Monroe but renamed as the Sandy Hook Elementary School. Students received gift boxes with toys inside and shared joyful reunions with teachers. "Everything's in order where it should be," one father, John Eisele, said. The desks are there, even down to the teachers' Tic Tacs are in the right spot, so they've done a wonderful job. For survivors of the shooting and their parents, the day comes with mixed emotions, Matt McFarland of CBS Hartford affiliate WFSB-TV reported on 'CBS This Morning" Thursday. "We ask her if she's excited, and she says, 'Yeah,' she's excited, but, you know, you can see the question in their eyes," said Eisele. You can see it. They're a little nervous, very nervous. "Comfort" dogs will be on hand to help ease the transition, McFarland reports. Vinny Alvarez took a moment to thank his third-grade daughter's teacher, Courtney Martin, who protected the class from a rampaging gunman by locking her classroom door and keeping the children in a corner. "Everybody there thanked her in their own way," he said. The gunman, Adam Lanza, also killed his mother at the home they shared in Newtown before driving to the school, where he slaughtered 20 children and six educators, including the school's principal. Lanza fatally shot himself as police arrived. "I think right now it has to be the safest school in America," Monroe police Lt. Keith White said. During the open house, Alvarez said his 8-year-old daughter also got to pick out a stuffed animal to take home from the school library. "I'm not worried about her going back," he said of his daughter Cynthia. The fear kind of kicks back in a little bit, but we're very excited for her and we got to see many, many kids today. The atmosphere was very cheerful.