[andthentherewere3]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Sandy Hook is not the only elementary school in Newtown.

Exactly. Children only go to the temporary Sandy Hook Elementary in Monroe if they live in the Sandy Hook area of Newtown. And while the temp location might be 8 miles from the old school, the Monroe school is on the border of both towns, so for some students the temp location is actually closer to them than the old location, only being a few miles or so from their homes. And the temp SHE only has the Sandy Hook students, no Monroe students, the school was empty before being taken over by the Newtown school system. It has been completely remodeled and brought up to code.

[Lola The yorkie]

Originally Posted by Stylo

Sandy Hook is not the only elementary school in Newtown.

yes..that is true..there are two other small elementary schools..where your kids go depend upon where one lives..

just thought I would point out that a third of Newtowns elementary kids are now going to a school in Monroe..

[Lola The yorkie]

Originally Posted by andthentherewere3

Exactly. Children only go to the temporary Sandy Hook Elementary in Monroe if they live in the Sandy Hook area of Newtown. And while the temp location might be 8 miles from the old school, the Monroe school is on the border of both towns, so for some students the temp location is actually closer to them than the old location, only being a few miles or so from their homes.

temporary as defined as they have already been there for a year..and a new school has not even been started..so likely it will be a total of 4 years before there is a school in the Sandy Hook area

My niece said it is a bit farther than when her kids were at Sandy Hook..but then they go by bus so not a big deal..

[echinoderm]

Originally Posted by Lola The yorkie

there are two other small elementary schools

There are 4 elementary schools in Newtown - Head O'Meadow, Hawley, Middle Gate and Sandy Hook.

They are of pretty much equivalent sizes; Head O'Meadow is the newest. Elementary is K-4th grade, there is the Reed Intermediate for grades 5/6, then the Middle and High schools.

Enrollment has been declining, leading to discussion about mothballing an elementary school or Reed. However, due to recent events, that has been somewhat muted.

[Fizzy Bear]

You should really enjoy Newtown, it's a beautiful place and lot's of things to do ~

[Ramblin'Rose]

Originally Posted by CS02

Hello everyone,
I'm new to this forum and glad I found it! My husband has been offered a great job opportunity in Newtown. We currently live in Virginia (we are both originally from Utah). We have 3 kids (ages 3, 4 and 5) and we currently live in a great neighborhood with great families we love very much. They offered to pay for my husband and myself to head out sometime before the new year to see the town and check out some houses. This is such a tough decision because, like I said, we love where we live and we would be sad to leave, but this is an incredible offer and we are leaning towards taking it. It will be hard on the kids because they have their friends around the neighborhood and my daughter (who is in Kindergarten) has her school friends and she loves her school and she's also in dance and she loves it.

Does anyone live or know someone who lives in or near Newtown? How is the neighborhood? Schools? Is it a family-oriented town (I've heard it is)? Are there things to do (i.e activities for the kids to participate in, like dance for my daughter)?

Any advice and/or information on the area would be great!

Thank you!!

Newtown is definitely family-oriented. There are many activities available for kids, through Newtown Parks and Rec, the Newtown Youth Academy, multiple dance schools, gymnastics, arts classes, the library, new children's museum in town, etc. We will also be getting a new community center due to a very generous grant from GE. Dickinson Park is getting a complete overhaul of its playground. Treadwell Park is on the other side of town (in Sandy Hook), and has a playground, playing fields, and a pool. Lake Zoar has a nice beach, marina, and picnic area.
You will not have any trouble finding things for your children to get involved in. Then, there are the very active church communities (as well as a synagogue and a small mosque) in town.
There are great summer camps, including one run by the historical society where children learn about living in colonial times. My daughter loves the SMART camp, which has artists teaching all kinds of arts classes in a caring environment.

We bought our house here in May 2012 and have a daughter in second grade. She goes to Hawley, and we have been very, very happy with the teachers and environment (even more so since 12/14; everyone has really worked to foster a sense of community in the wake of the tragedy). You may find that, coming from VA, people in New England tend to be a little more reserved. We don't mind that; we find that the connections we do make with neighbors, etc. feel meaningful. (I also think people here are more friendly than the NYC area where we moved from.) Oh, there are many transplants here as well!

The town is very spread out. It takes me 20 minutes to drive from our end to the other (we live on the northern tip, on the border of Brookfield). But most of the activities are central, and I don't need to drive more than 10 to 15 minutes for most places. You will hear realtors refer to "distance from the flagpole," which sits in the center of town on Main Street. Most places in town (schools, grocery, drug, etc.) are only about 10 minutes from there. It works for us, but sometimes I do miss walking to stores, etc. There are places in the borough where you can walk. Main Street is lovely. The Labor Day Parade, Halloween, etc. are big favorites and very child-oriented.

I'd be happy to answer any more questions you have; feel free to send me a private message, if you want.
We rented in Redding and Brookfield before buying here, so I can give you a little perspective on other towns, as well. We also looked in Ridgefield and Southbury.

[nep321]

Newtown is very family oriented. About 79% of all households in the town are family households. That's far above the national average of 67%.

[dazzleman]

Originally Posted by CS02

Hello everyone,
I'm new to this forum and glad I found it! My husband has been offered a great job opportunity in Newtown. We currently live in Virginia (we are both originally from Utah). We have 3 kids (ages 3, 4 and 5) and we currently live in a great neighborhood with great families we love very much. They offered to pay for my husband and myself to head out sometime before the new year to see the town and check out some houses. This is such a tough decision because, like I said, we love where we live and we would be sad to leave, but this is an incredible offer and we are leaning towards taking it. It will be hard on the kids because they have their friends around the neighborhood and my daughter (who is in Kindergarten) has her school friends and she loves her school and she's also in dance and she loves it.

Does anyone live or know someone who lives in or near Newtown? How is the neighborhood? Schools? Is it a family-oriented town (I've heard it is)? Are there things to do (i.e activities for the kids to participate in, like dance for my daughter)?

Any advice and/or information on the area would be great!

Thank you!!

Newtown is a wonderful town. You need to check it out. You will probably love it.