Church of Praise International Christian School is a church-based bilingual Christian school. It started in 2004 April. Our school provides classes for kindergarten through 9th grade. We have Japanese and American staff which create an international atmosphere. We use a combination of American curriculum, Japanese public school curriculum, and our own specially designed curriculum.
Welcome to our School !!
Church of Praise International Christian School
Programs
Kindergarten through 9th Grade
About Us
WELCOME to COPICS! We are glad you are visiting us online. Here is a little information to help you get to know us. We are an international and Christian school. Our school uses a bilingual program to ensure that our students develop fluency in English and in Japanese. Don’t forget to visit the Programs page to learn more detailed information.
Church of Praise International Christian School began in April 2004. We began with a kindergarten class and a handful of elementary and junior high school students. Our school is a branch ministry of Church of Praise International. The principal, Jaycie Lawrence along with her husband, Gaius Lawrence were sent out as missionaries from Family of Faith Church in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Family of Faith (FOF) has a Private school with grades pre-K through the 12th grade. They also have a university with both Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs. Once our school began we have had the support of our sister school FOF and many of our foreign teachers come from that school.
There is a long history of churches and schools working together. In the US most schools were pioneered by churches. Church schools existed before there was any kind of public education. Even several of the universities in the US, Ivy League universities like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton were started by churches and religious organizations. This is also true in Japan. Doshisha University, Kwansei Gakuin University, Aoyama Gakuin University, International Christian University, and Rikkyo University are all universities that were started by churches.
The purpose for starting our church school was to be a blessing to our church members. We also wanted to open our school to anyone so that the school could be a blessing to Ikeda, Osaka and the surrounding cities as well. We are thankful that over the years we have seen our elementary students graduate and go onto various junior high schools in Japan. We have seen our junior high school students matriculate into our sister school’s (FOF) high school program. We have seen our students graduate from their American high school as well. Some have remained in the US for university and others have returned and attended Japanese universities.
We have had the pleasure of teaching several students over the last 16 years. Many remain in contact with us as they grow and experience new phases of their lives. It is a joy for us to see our students succeed and go after their dreams.
The majority of our students are Japanese living in our local area. Our school also accommodates foreign students and Japanese students returning from abroad. We have both Japanese teachers and staff, as well as, foreign teachers. We participate in many of the usual Japanese school activities such as: opening ceremony, sport’s day, and closing ceremony. Some international events are also included as students engage in holiday activities from the U. S. throughout the year. Each year the school also performs a Christmas program. Our school is a mix of Japanese culture and other cultures from around the world.
As you can read in our school’s history section, the school began as a branch of Church of Praise International. Our staff is Christian and much of our curriculum is Biblically based. Some of our students come from Christian homes. However, being a Christian is not a requirement for attending our school. We have students who come from families that have various religious backgrounds. We do encourage our students to study the Bible and develop a relationship with God. However, we do not require any student to change their religion. We only ask that students be respectful during chapel and Bible times. Our teachers and staff seek to be a blessing to every student and each student’s family.
Curriculum
Our school is unique since we equally focus on English and Japanese. We believe that learning English can open up many opportunities for our students’ futures. However, we also feel that it is important for Japanese to be Japanese. If a student is not Japanese, learning the Japanese language can also be an important skill for their future. The school is international and respects all cultures. We do not favor the American culture over the other cultures. Instead we want to see our students appreciate their own culture, wherever they are from, and also gain an international perspective. We believe this can be accomplished as students develop fluency in the two languages. We have a bilingual program to see that each student develops in both languages.
Depending upon the grade, a variety of textbooks are used. For each grade level Japanese public school textbooks are used and supplementary materials are added. For English classes our school uses a combination of textbooks from America and we have developed our own curriculum for certain grades. Our students use curriculum that is at the same level of curriculum that would be used at each grade level in America. Our main English curriculum is Biblically based. This curriculum is produced for private Christian schools in the U. S. The curriculum has a higher standard than the curriculum that is used in U. S. public schools.
Though learning two languages and studying from specialized curriculum can be challenging, our students are able to accomplish their academic goals with the aid of their teachers. Our school purposefully maintains a smaller class size. This enables teachers to meet individuals needs and move faster through the curriculum. For more information on the benefits to having a smaller class size click here.
Our school provides private tutoring lessons after school. Some students who want to improve their skills in a particular subject can request extra classes after the school day. It is our goal to help our students achieve academic success . Therefore, we are available to give extra aid at a low cost only to our students.
Other lessons are also available. Many of our students enjoy participating in additional music lessons. Students need not travel, but can arrange private music lessons on our school campus. Music lessons include: piano, guitar, drums, and base.
Vision
Our vision is to train the whole child. Our school is a place to see children grow academically, socially, and spiritually. This is accomplished through the pursuit of academics, developing healthy relationships, and studying the Bible. The Bible says in Jer. 29:11 that God has a plan for each person and it is a good plan, a plan to prosper us. The phrase “to prosper us” means that in every area of life we do well.
As we seek to have our students succeed academically, we feel learning English and Japanese will be a great benefit to our students’ futures. Having these skills will create many open doors and possibilities. Therefore our school does not focus on one language and simply add a few classes of a second language. Instead our program puts equal focus on both English and Japanese. We study the fundamental subjects in both languages within our bilingual program.
Developing good social skills are just as important as academic skills. Learning how to have good relationships is a skill that can take a person far. Knowing how to communicate well with others will also help one become successful at whatever they do in life. We take time to help our students grow proper interactions with each other and with their teachers.
Another key foundation for our school is to help students grow spiritually. We begin each day with either a chapel service or Bible class. We encourage our students to study the Bible and develop a relationship with God. We believe this will help them become the people God created them to be and live a blessed life.
Key skills that we want each student to develop include
* critical thinking
* creativity
* learning transfer
* verbal
* written
* bilingual
* shows respect to others
* cares for others
* partnership
* communicates feelings, opinions, and ideas in a respectful way
* sportsmanship
* responsible global citizens
* organization
* affective intelligence
* reflection
* self evaluation
* information literacy
* media literacy
* typing
* coding
* digital literacy
Dr. Jaycie Lawrence, Principal
Dr. Jaycie Lawrence has been teaching since 1996. She has taught every grade level from pre-K to 12th grade. She has also taught at universities both in the U. S. and Japan. She holds a Master’s degree in Education, a Master’s degree in Church Leadership, and a Doctor’s degree in Apostolic Leadership and Applied Theology. As the founder of COPICS, she uses this experience to lead the school and it’s students to being a positive influence. Gaining influence begins by first being well equipped. She believes education will prepare our students for a successful future.
On a personal note, Jaycie Sensei is from the state of Oklahoma. She graduated from our sister school Family of Faith High School and then again from Family of Faith University for her undergraduate degree before attending other universities for higher degrees. She remains in close relations with the staff of our sister school.
Jaycie Sensei and her husband came to Japan in 1998 as missionaries and planted a church. She helped start private schools in different areas of Japan. After a few years, church members requested that a church school be established in Ikeda, Osaka. Thus COPICS began in 2004 years ago.
Jaycie Sensei is a part of the pastoral team of Church of Praise International. She and her husband have two sons who were born in Japan. The family lives with their pet beagle, MacKenzie.Jaycie Sensei enjoys traveling. She likes to be creative. So her hobbies includes painting, crafts, and music. Jaycie Sensei loves living in Japan which is now the place she calls home.
Sachiko Nishioka, Vice Principal
Ms. Sachiko Nishioka has been teaching at COPICS since April 2005. Before that she taught at public junior high schools and a language college in Osaka for more than fifteen years. She got a Bachelor’s Degree from Doshisha University in Kyoto and a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of York in England. She is also a part of the pastoral team of Church of Praise International.
Daiki Fukuyama, Office Manager
Mr. Daiki Fukuyama is a Graduated of COPICS. He went to a high school in Osaka and studied at International Christian University in Tokyo. In 2004 April, he came back to his alma mater as a school staff member. He is very popular among the students and a reliable Senpai (senior) teacher.
Yearly Schedule
Club
Each club is held once a week. From 4th grade up students can choose their favorite club to join. Please check out our clubs below to see which ones you are interested in.
Praise Band
5th to 9th grade students can join this club. In Praise Band Club you can learn to play various instruments, vocal skills, and participate in an ensemble. This club gives presentations a few times a year.
Praise Band Club
Basketball
5th to 9th grade students can join this club. We practice, drill, and play games at the gymnasium near our school. Training camps are also held during long vacations.
Basketball Club
