In the Pacific Northwest, there are a few surefire signs that fall is coming — two of which are kids returning to school and a turn in the weather.

Tuesday saw both as it was the first day of school for the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) and it rained off and on for much of the day — a contrast from the summer’s high temperatures and dry conditions.

Kathryn Reith, communications director for the district, said they decided to begin school early because Labor Day is so late. She said otherwise, the school year would end around June 22.

At Albert Einstein Elementary School in Redmond, it was a scene of organized chaos Tuesday morning with students, parents and school staff rushing around to figure out who the students’ teachers were, where their classrooms were and where the students needed to line up — all the while clad in rain jackets with their hoods up or protected under umbrellas, trying to get out of the wet weather as quickly as possible.

“Of all the days to rain,” said principal Robin Imai at one point that morning as she opened her umbrella to step out from under a covered area right next to the building.

Despite the rain, Imai has been looking forward to the school year to start.

This is her first year at Einstein as well as with LWSD. Prior to taking the job in Redmond, she worked as an administrator with Everett Public Schools. Imai, who graduated from high school in Hawaii and graduated from the University of Washington, began her career as a teacher with Federal Way Public Schools, and prior to becoming an administrator, she spent a year interning for Seattle Public Schools. Imai said she spent seven years as a teacher and success coordinator, one year interning in Seattle and is entering her ninth year in administration.

Imai said as a teacher, she said she was able to impact the lives of the students in her classroom. She saw that working as an administrator allowed her to help students on a bigger scale.

“I saw an opportunity to make an even bigger impact,” she said.

Imai may be new to the district, but she said she has kept her eye on LWSD for job opportunities. When she learned about the opening at Einstein, she thought it was a perfect fit and “took the jump” to move to the Eastside for the job.

“It has been great,” Imai said about her time so far, which began over the summer.

She said she met with the Einstein staff in the summer during Learning Enhancement Academic Planning (LEAP) Days. Imai said those days were a great opportunity for her to get to know her staff before school started.

“I just know it’s going to be an amazing year,” she said about what she is looking forward to these next nine months. “We’re just all here for learning.”