MONROE, Conn. (AP) — The children who escaped last month's shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown have been welcomed to a school in a neighboring town.

Today's open house at the former Chalk Hill School in Monroe marks the students' first time in a formal classroom setting since Dec. 14, when a gunman killed 20 of their classmates along with six educators. Several police cars were parked outside the school.

A road leading to the school was lined with signs greeting the students. The building got fresh paint. The desks, backpacks and other belongings students left behind after the shooting were taken to the new school to make them feel more at home.

Classes will start for the Sandy Hook students tomorrow, with schools Superintendent Janet Robinson saying teachers will try to make it as normal a school day as possible for the children.

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