It’s August, and that means it’s back to school for thousands of Fayette County students. Time to get back on schedule and start looking toward the new school year. Important dates to remember are provided below:

First day of classes — August 13 marks the first day of classes not only for Fayette County’s public schools but also for many of the areas private schools including: Lexington Catholic, Bluegrass Baptist School, Trinity Christian Academy, Christ The King School, Seton Catholic School, Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary and Lexington Christian. Lexington Universal Academy opens on August 14. Sayre School opens on August 19, and the first full day of classes for The Lexington School is August 21.

The first 16th District PTA Roundtable meeting will be at 11:30 a.m. August 21. This is an opportunity for families and PTA members from across the district gather in an open forum and discuss current issues affecting all schools with the superintendent and other Fayette County Public School leaders. This event will recur the third Thursday of every month at the IAKSS Downtown Campus at 701 E. Main St.

The city has designated days for open houses for elementary, middle and high school students. (However, schools can choose another day if they wish.) Open house for middle school is August 5, August 6 for high schools and August 7 for elementary schools.

The application window for gifted-and-talented programs, magnet schools and other specialized programs for the year of 2015-2016 opens August 15 and will close October 7.