Ray Unified School District No. 3

Early release on Thursday, May 21st, will be as follows:

PreK (morning and afternoon class combined) Early Release: 11:15 a.m.
K-12 Early Release: 1:45 p.m.
Big Cats (6-12) 1:15 p.m.
Little Cats: 11:15 a.m.

✨ Celebrating Excellence ✨ Congratulations to our newest members of the National Honor Society (NHS)! NHS is an organization that recognizes outstanding high school students who demonstrate excellence in scholarship, leadership, service, and character. These students have worked incredibly hard, maintaining strong academic performance, giving back through service, leading by example, and consistently making positive choices. Your dedication has truly paid off, and we are proud to welcome you into this prestigious organization! We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to our current NHS members. Your continued commitment to serving others, supporting our school community, and upholding the values of NHS does not go unnoticed. You set the standard and inspire those who follow. A special thank you to Mr. Jacob Barajas for stepping in as the sponsor for these well-deserved students. Your leadership and support are making a meaningful impact on their journey and success. Keep striving, leading, and making a difference! Bearcats, we are proud of each and every one of you! 🥳♥️🐾

See attached for important band concert information!

Class of 2026 Grad Walk is May 13th. See attached!

THE BAND CONCERT DATE HAS OFFICIALLY BEEN CHANGED!!! Congratulations to our varsity softball team on their win today! They advance in the playoffs and will play Wednesday, May 6th at 4 PM in Superior. Due to this awesome Bearcat win, the district band concert will take place on Monday, May 11th at 7 PM! See you all then!!! If anything else changes, alerts will be sent. Thank you all for supporting our athletics and arts programs.

Next week is Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week! 🍎📚 Our Bearcat educators and staff members work tirelessly to inspire, support, and care for our students every single day. They are the heart of our school, and we want to shower them with the gratitude they deserve! To our teachers and staff: Thank you for the "million things" you do, from developing leaders, inspiring innovation, fostering curiosity, and everything in between. You make our community a better place! 🐾❤️ 📢 PARENTS & COMMUNITY: We invite you to join in the fun! If you’d like to do something special for a specific teacher or the staff as a whole—whether it’s a handwritten note, a small treat, or a simple "thank you" in the hallway—next week is the perfect time to show your love. ✨ Let’s make this the best appreciation week yet!

Water is on everyone’s mind in Kearny right now. If you’ve got questions, this is a good place to start. Ray Unified School District is hosting the Nature of Groundwater Exhibit from Arizona Project WET-- a hands-on, interactive display that breaks down how groundwater works and what it means for our area. Come learn where Kearny’s water comes from, why shortages happen, and what really impacts our local supply. Join us for the kickoff event on April 30 from 3:30–4:30 PM at the Middle School in Room 504 (701 N. Highway 177). The opening event will include a guest speaker, short videos, hands-on activities, and time to ask questions. The exhibit will then be open for a limited time: April 30 – May 14 Schools (Mon–Thurs): 7:30 AM – 2:35 PM Public (Mon–Thurs): 3:30 – 4:00 PM Location: Ray USD Middle School - Room 504 It’s free and open to the public. We hope to see you there!

RHS Senior, Camille Bentley, was instrumental in making out most recent book fair happen. Thank you for all your hard work, Camille! Go Bearcats!

One of our HS students, Tyra, passed the CTE skills assessment for early childhood education. Congratulations, Tyra!!! Keep up the good work! We are so proud of you.

Huge shout out to the incredible Abigail Pitner! 🐾 Mrs. Pitner just raised $1,000 for our Elementary PAW Store through her Bearcat Blanket Booster project! What makes this even more impressive? She did it all while: 🐣 Hatching chicks in class 📣 Running Student Council 📸 Leading the Yearbook team 🍎 Teaching full-time ❤️ Being an amazing mom and family member A few months ago, we dreamed of bringing back the end-of-year PAW Store tradition. Without a second of hesitation, Mrs. Pitner jumped into action to make sure our students didn't miss out. Because of her initiative and heart, our students get to celebrate this year with a tradition they truly love. Mrs. Pitner, you inspire all of us to be better teachers and leaders every single day. We are so lucky to have you in the Bearcat Family! 🐻💪

A special shoutout to our outstanding Pre-Kindergarten teacher, Patti Bingham, and her paraprofessional, Nikki Hughes, for inspiring curiosity, encouraging hands-on learning, and developing future leaders at such a young age! Through exciting experiences like hatching chicks in the classroom and watching caterpillars transform into butterflies, they are creating meaningful learning moments our students will always remember. Thank you both for making such a lasting impact on our youngest learners!

IT’S STATE TOURNAMENT TIME! ⚾️🥎 Huge congratulations to our Boys Baseball and Girls Softball teams for qualifying for State! We are hosting the first-round action right here at home, so let's pack the stands and bring the energy! 🐾💪 🔥 FRIDAY, MAY 1ST 🥎 Girls Softball vs. Salome ⏰ 4:00 PM 🎟️ Tickets: https://gofan.co/event/6557574 🔥 SATURDAY, MAY 2ND ⚾️ Boys Baseball vs. Joseph City ⏰ 4:00 PM 🎟️ Tickets: https://gofan.co/event/6557562 Come out and support our athletes as they start their playoff run! GO BEARCATS!

Good morning everyone, Due to HS Softball playoffs, there is a possibility that they will have a game on Wednesday, May 6th… the same day as the band concert. We will know for sure after they play this weekend in the first round of playoffs. If they advance, I’m looking at having the concert on Monday, May 11th at the same time, 7 PM. I will be sending a message out this weekend once I know, and letters out on Monday if we need to change the date. Thank you.

Great news! You now have until Monday, April 20, 2026, to order your Bearcat blanket. Place your order today and let your Bearcat pride shine.

Dear Bearcat Community:
Renew Announcement

https://aptg.co/GcntNL

Dear Parents and Guardians,

We are writing to remind families of our school’s policy regarding student-issued iPads.

https://aptg.co/kFLk0X

Dear families of 8th graders,

Your student will be bringing home a letter today regarding the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), which will be administered to 8th grade students at Ray on February 18th.

The letter includes important information about the assessment, including the testing date and what families can expect.

Please review the letter carefully. If you have any questions after reviewing it, feel free to contact the school.

Thank you.

https://aptg.co/K4T5hM