 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. “We want to move on and let the kids move on, too.” 
 
 Lt. Keith White says Sandy Hook students were excited to see friends as they returned to school on Thursday for the first time since the Dec. 14 massacre in Newtown, Conn. 
 
 Connecticut Gov. Nearly three weeks after the shooting rampage... (Associated Press) 
 
 This December 2012 photo provided by The Newtown Bee shows a sign welcoming Sandy Hook Elementary School students, of Newtown, Conn., to the Chalk Hill School campus in neighboring Monroe, Conn. An open... (Associated Press) 
 
 A woman hugs a child before he boards a bus on the first day of classes after the holiday break, in Newtown, Conn., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. Children from Sandy Hook Elementary School will return to... (Associated Press) 
 
 A green and white ribbon, the school colors of Sandy Hook Elementary School is seen attached to a bus on the first day of school after the holiday break, in Newtown, Conn., Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2013. School resumes Wednesday for students in Newtown, Conn., except for the Sandy Hook Elementary School students, who will... (Associated Press) 
 
 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." Parents were invited into the school as Sandy Hook principal Donna Page, Newtown School Superintendent Janet Robinson and members of the Newtown board of education greeted students and parents, White said. 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. “They were anxious to get into the hallways and meet up with the other kids, and you could see the teachers had the same response.” 
 
 The 400-plus students had not been back to school since Adam Lanza blasted his way into Sandy Hook and killed 20 first-graders, six staffers and himself with a semi-automatic rifle. Lanza fatally shot himself as police arrived. Numerous police officers on Wednesday guarded the outside of the Monroe school, which is about 7 miles from the old school, and told reporters to stay away. Students, teachers and staff are "going back to business as usual," said Monroe Police Lt. Keith White Thursday. Dannel Malloy said it took a “Herculean effort” to prepare the school in Monroe for the Sandy Hook kids. “But that cannot be an excuse for inaction.” 
 
 He said the 15-member commission would look at three areas -- school security, mental health services, and gun laws. Students were excited as they entered their new school building and reunited with friends as classes got back together, White said. “There was probably some anxiety but it was more excitement. He said attendance was robust, with most school buses full as they rumbled down streets that had been decorated with balloons and welcome signs. The students' desks, backpacks and other belongings that were left behind following the shooting were taken to the new school to make them feel at home. White reported buses arrived on time Thursday and there were no major issues.White reported buses arrived on time Thursday and there were no major issues.
– It's the first day back at Sandy Hook Elementary for survivors of last month's shooting—and its new campus, guarded by law enforcement, is "the safest school in America," police tell the AP. Police are checking every car that enters campus, and there are unspecified "security devices" on site, NBC News reports. Still, Superintendent Janet Robinson is trying to make today as "normal" as possible, and says the students will follow their regular schedule. Much work was done on the new school, a former middle school in a neighboring town, to make the students feel at home. Chalk Hill Middle School was renamed Sandy Hook Elementary School; bathroom floors were raised so its new, younger inhabitants can reach the toilets; and some of the familiar furniture from the old school was brought in, the Hartford Courant notes. That includes their old desks and other items to make the classrooms look the same as the ones students are used to; backpacks, lunchboxes, coats, and other belongings left at the old school were also waiting for students at the new one. Signs welcoming the students were posted along the road leading to the school, and the halls were decorated with snowflakes sent from all over the world and other "cheerful" decor. Former Sandy Hook principal Donna Page, who retired in 2010, returned; her successor, Dawn Hochsprung, died in the shooting. "The main thing it means ... is that they are getting back to their normal structures and routines," a psychiatrist who counseled survivors tells the Wall Street Journal. It's "the right time for them to essentially to step back on the path." Counselors are on hand at the new school for anyone who needs them.