This morning, some 400 young children made their way back to their familiar classrooms and back to a (semi) normal routine. But the students of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut did not return to the same elementary school that Adam Lanza turned into a place of tragedy and sadness. No. Instead, the 400 students who we’ve all hailed as brave, courageous kids are making their home in a new school, one town over, in Monroe, CT at the old Chalk Hill school.

Before the morning bell rang, dozens of volunteers have worked relentlessly, turning the once-was Chalk Hill school into the new, safe Sandy Hook Elementary School. Volunteers raised bathroom floors for kindergarteners to be able to reach the toilets and the sink the bathrooms, as well as replicating the placement of bookshelves and cubbys for students to feel at home. They’ve also carried over students backpacks and other belongings that they left behind the morning of the devastating shooting. But that wasn’t all the volunteers made sure the students had on their first day back to school.

In addition to painting the walls and hanging the same signs and artwork to match the students old classrooms, as well as transferring tables, chairs and desks from Sandy Hook to Chalk Hill, students were given gift boxes with toys inside.

Safety precautions for the children, their teachers and their families have been taken to ensure that as much normalcy as possible can be given. Law enforcement has even dubbed the new school, “the safest school in America” and rightly so, for these children deserve nothing but the best as they make their return to school. The school district has also encouraged parents that would like to stay close with their children to stay and visit in the classrooms or auditorum as long as they’d like. Parents are even encouraged to ride the bus with their children, to help them feel safe and secure returning to familiar routines.

Parents had IDs checked and incoming students and families were greeted by a fleet of police. Officers guarded the entrances and exits of the building.

Though the community is still reeling from the tragedy, Newtown Superintendent Janet Robinson said that they will be doing a normal day of classes, keeping the children and teachers on a regular schedule.

After a whirlwind of tragedy and horror that shocked the nation, a little normalcy is all we can hope for for the brave Sandy Hook students.

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I don’t know about you, but I’ve been a mess since last Friday’s Sandy Hook shooting. A conflicted, sad, fearful, desperate mess. I’ve been trying to have a normal day – but so many times a day a single move or word will make me stop and, not just cry, weep. In a single motion of putting a blanket on my sleeping daughter (7), in the image of a child skipping into school, or while volunteering in the classroom when rather than focusing on the gingerbread house I’m helping to build, I’m looking around the room from a teacher’s point of view and concocting an escape plan. I weep for the parents who will never have a normal day again. At times I even feel guilty ever enjoying any of these moments when others are suffering so greatly.

I have been searching for a meaningful way for my family and I to reach out, and after a friend of mine whose son is a student at Sandy Hook posted a request from their PTA, I have the answer. I wanted to share this with everyone who might also be looking for the same thing.

It’s snowflakes. Beautiful, pure, snowflakes, which will decorate the new school that Sandy Hook students will attend. Here is why this speaks to me:

They represent the lives lost: no two are alike

They are a representation of the irreplaceable and unique people that are no longer with us but have had an impact on every person they touched.

They are a symbol of hope and beauty

They will provide a visual support that I can be part of. The kids, the staff, the parents can look at them every day and see how many people are out here pouring our love into their community.

It will be easy to explain and do with my kids.

I’ve struggled with what to tell my kids about the shooting. For now, they know a group of people, including children, were killed in Connecticut last week and the person responsible also died. They don’t know it was in a school. I feel comfortable having our entire family make snowflakes together and telling them that they are being sent to the school that the kids were from to show our love and support.

Here is the address to send your snowflakes by January 12, 2013:

Connecticut PTSA

60 Connolly Parkway, Building 12, Suite 103

Hamden, CT  06514

For more ways to help the Sandy Hook community visit the Connecticut PTA.

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The sound of my kids coming home from school today has never sounded sweeter. Their bickering, their loudness, their messes and their interruptions have never been more welcome. I will be hugging them tighter, longer, and they won’t know what has gotten into me today.

In a world where it doesn’t seem like anything has shock value these days, the news of the Sandy Hook shooting has left everyone shaken to the core and hearts breaking everywhere. As parents, we know the feeling of having our hearts outside our bodies and what it would mean to lose them. Many parents had to learn what this was truly like today. This tragedy questions so many things, but most importantly 1) How could a human being do this 2) Is there no safe place in the world for children? I have no answers.

What I do have is infinite tears for the truly innocent souls lost today and the parents who will mourn their losses. How the holidays will forever be a reminder of the last time they said “have a good day at school”. To all of those parents and families involved I want to say we are all thinking of you, holding your hands, sharing your tears. I hope you feel our love.

Plus, more from TheBump.com

Sandy Hook Shooting: Parents React With Fear, Sadness and Empathy