Tel. 055-287-9577
New Life International School
Academics
American and Internationally Recognized Texts
Used in All Grades
Language and Literacy
Elementary
Grades 1 and 2 students read and write simple summaries and stories. Second graders learn to write cursive. Phonics is a daily focus in both grades.
Grades 3-6 read a variety of books, poems, and short stories from all genres. Students learn how to comprehend, analyze, and synthesize the stories read. The students respond to the literature and write essays to inform, entertain, describe, and
persuade. Students use BJU readers and work on grammar, comprehension, and vocabulary development. All classes have at least two or three novel studies.
Secondary
See the "High School Requirements" page for more details on all our high school classes.
Junior high students develop writing and thinking skills by focusing on vocabulary and building strong grammar knowledge. Grades 7 and 8 study editing, revision techniques, and literary terms through writing. Seventh and eighth-grade students are stretched in their comprehension and analysis of the literature by reading literature from short stories, novels, and poetry, all in various genres. Students will read extensively. Books include Much to Do About Nothing by Shakespeare, The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Hiding Place (a biography), The Cay, Star of Light, The Giver, and Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.
Bible
All students at NLIS study the Bible together for 20 minutes four days a week.
Grades 1 through 6 study Bible stories and verses and learn how to apply the lessons of forgiveness, love, honoring our parents, and good character traits.
Junior High students survey all 66 books of the Bible.
High school students thoroughly study the Gospel of John, Proverbs, and Romans.
The chapel meets every Friday for all grades. The students memorize Bible verses, sing songs, and play games.
Science
Science activities through hands-on STEM projects, research, and experiments are done in all classes.
Grades 1 through 3 study science using hands-on experiments, discovery, exploration, and research.
BJU Science textbooks are used in grades 4 through 6 and for high school biology.
Grades 4-12 present an experiment or a project for the annual science fair every February.
Kesler Science is used in our junior high school science program. Chris Kesler, an award-winning science teacher in America, developed the program. Kesler Science uses complete 5E lessons: engagement, exploration, explanation, elaboration, and evaluation. Steve Spangler, whom TIME magazine stated as "one of the most influential people of the year," joined Kesler in creating this outstanding curriculum. Spangler inspires the next generation of scientists and engineers.
High school subject choices include Biology, Physical Science, Chemistry, and Physics. High school students are required to take at least two science classes.
Physical Education & Recess
Recess: (free play) Grades one and two play in the park or the gym every morning for 30 minutes.
Grades three to six play 30 minutes daily at the local park, the front parking lot with balls, or the gym.
Physical Education: (The coach directs the class.) Grades one through six have 30 minutes of Physical Education twice weekly. Students play basketball, do exercises and gymnastics, play four square, compete in jump rope competitions, and play many group games.
Physical education is an elective in grades 7-12. Students spend an hour on physical Education two to three times a week, taking fitness tests and playing various sports, including basketball, volleyball, table tennis, and others.
Grades 7 through 12 enjoy an hour of lunch, and the students can go out for recreation daily. Grades 9 through 12 may leave the campus during lunch with parental permission.
Art, Music, and Drama
Art is done at least once a week in grades one through six. Students use a variety of media to express emotion, imitate great artists, and express creativity. They are also taught about famous artists worldwide and to recognize renowned art.
Music is taught twice a week in elementary school. Students study music history worldwide and learn to sing spirituals, folksongs, Christmas songs, and classic and popular songs. Grades 4 through 6 perform the ukulele.
Concerts are held several times a year. Students are taught to read music and how to play with rhythm.
Grades 7 through 12 can choose art, choir, drama, introduction to photography, home economics, introduction to psychology, and sculpture electives.
All students participate in a singing performance at the Asahi Fall Festival on November 23, featuring gospel songs and Christmas carols.
Electives in Secondary School
NLIS Electives for the year 2025-2026 are as follows:
Physical Education
Introduction to Photography
Drama
Technology Skills
Home Economics
Introduction to Psychology
Technology
NLIS actively uses technology to help students meet the digital age with confidence and skills. One computer is available for all students from grade three through grade 8. Students from grade 9 must bring their computers to school daily.
K-2 grades take standardized tests online, listen to reading, and learn technology rules and parts of the computer.
Grades 3-6 review technology rules and parts of the computer and learn keyboard skills with at least 85% accuracy and at least 30 wpm. Students improve their keyboard skills by taking typing tests. Projects include various research activities and some introduction to coding.
Computer Class is an elective offered to grades 7 through 12. Students have an hour two to three times a week to improve keyboarding skills, learn how to do Google Drive lessons, create accounts, manage documents, code, design surveys, create PowerPoint presentations, and make spreadsheets. Computer classes may be taken for one semester or all year.
Computer Standardized Testing
All grades 1-8 take standardized tests online.
9th graders take various practice SAT standardized online tests throughout the year.
10th-grade students take the preSAT test.
11th-grade students take the SAT if desired. Many universities require the SAT for admission into college.
High school students can take online courses through SevenStar Academy, an accredited school based in America. These courses earn credits for NLIS. The school offers advanced placement, honors, and other classes our small school can't provide, such as world languages, physics, and calculus.
Math
Grades 1 through 8 use Singapore Math. It is a top-tested math text emphasizing problem-solving and mental math. It focuses on mastery. Students learn to conceptualize math skills. According to the International Student Assessment, Singapore scored 549 points in the most recent results. The global average is 489.
Seventh- and eighth-grade students study pre-algebra and geometry using Singapore Math.
9th-12th grades:
Algebra 1, Geometry 1, Algebra 2, and Statistics.
Students can take Geometry 2, Precalculus, Accounting, and Trigonometry through an accredited online course. Honors classes and AP classes are available in most math classes.
Japanese Literacy
Native Japanese experienced teachers teach grades 1 through 4 four times a week, 45 minutes a day, and one hour to grades five and up.
Track One is for students who use Japanese in their homes. From grade one through high school, these students use the Japanese national textbook (Kokugo textbook) and kanji workbooks, and they have weekly kanji tests.
Track Two is for students who do not use Japanese at home. From grades 5 through high school, these students have a bilingual teacher in the classroom and follow a different curriculum. The goal is for all students in Track Two to take and pass the National Japanese tests for foreigners, beginning with the N5. For more information about the tests, see https://www.jlpt.jp/e/about/levelsummary.html. Many students have passed N5, N4, N3, and even N1!
After school, Japanese language classes are offered for non-native Japanese speakers.
Students can study after school with a qualified teacher for the Eiken test. Many students at NLIS take and pass the Eiken tests from an early age. Many students have passed Eiken levels of pre-2, 2, pre-1, and even 1!
Social Studies and History
Grades 1 through 6 use teacher-made units, hands-on projects, and research to study social studies, history, and global citizenship. Japanese history and culture are explored in all grades.
Grade 3 studies a text called "Yamanashi."
Child protection classes are taught to all students annually for at least three days in all classes. Puberty lessons are included for grades 4 through 12. Sexes and ages are separated, enabling students to feel safe during daily question-and-answer sessions.
Junior high students study Asian history, ancient history, and geography, with a focus on the Eastern Hemisphere, including landforms, environmental issues, water resources, society, economics, and Japanese history.
High school studies include Humanities, covering World History, World Geography, Global Issues, and Government.
Elected student council members lead school assemblies, work on projects, and learn leadership skills.
High school students volunteer 50 hours of community service during the four years of high school.
Advanced Placement Courses
High school students are encouraged to take advanced placement classes. The American College Board creates these challenging college-level courses. Colleges and universities grant placement and course credit to students with high exam scores. Advanced Placement courses are accepted by universities in the United States, Canada, Japan, and over 100 countries worldwide. It is more widely used than IB. Currently, all Advanced Placement courses are offered online through SevenStar Academy, an accredited school in the United States.
Library
Every class walks ten minutes to the prefectural library near Kofu station every other Friday. Students check out two English books and one Japanese book. This encourages the love of English and Japanese literature.
NLIS has books available in each class for students to read in class and borrow. NLIS teachers and students are very thankful for book donations.
Special Activities
New Life International School offers a variety of special activities throughout the year. These events help students bond with their teachers and classmates, motivating them to love school. We work hard and play hard.
Every year, elementary students participate in three class parties, a school-wide party, at least one or two field trips, a sports day, and special days such as Camp Literacy Day, where students read books in tents, write letters, sing camp songs, play camp-themed games, and eat s'mores.
The Secondary students enjoy several class parties, a schoolwide party, a sports day, at least two field trips, and a "School Spirit Week" with different activities planned daily.
Secondary students are invited to attend the Kanto College Fair each year.
NLIS also hosts special speakers annually. We have had a violin concert, a ventriloquist, a drama teacher, a shamisen teacher, a train conductor, a nurse, a dentist, a police officer, and many other motivational speakers visit the school.
Other special activities include an art and science fair, a math race contest, a Christmas program, and singing at the Asahi Festival. First- through third-graders enjoy a special day at the fire station or police headquarters, and graduating sixth-, ninth-, and twelfth-graders go on special field trips. NLIS is an active school!
Accreditation & Associations
New Life International School is extremely pleased and proud to announce that we have been granted accreditation by the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). NLIS is the only school in Yamanashi to have obtained this honor. New Life’s accreditation is a testament to the dedication of its faculty, staff, and stakeholders, who are committed to delivering high-quality learning and promoting well-being for all students through a continuous improvement process.
New Life International School would also like to thank the accreditation visiting committee for their perspectives throughout the visit based on the WASC criteria. The visiting committee report noted the following areas of strength exhibited within our school community:
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Open two-way communication with students and parents
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Good relationship between all staff
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Schoolwide integration of school mission and goals
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An active and involved school board
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Strong leadership by the administrator
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Very strong selection of effective and appropriate teachers and staff
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The school community provides an open and engaging learning environment that allows creativity.
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The school has a strong Japanese teaching program confirmed by external assessment results.
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The teachers provide after-school language support for students with lower English or Japanese proficiency levels.
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External assessment results such as easyCBM, SAT, and EIKEN indicate that students are achieving significant success.
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The school provides an adequate amount of assessments and surveys used to monitor growth and needs.
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The teachers use assessment results to modify their teaching.
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The school board and principal are strongly committed to the mission and vision of the school.
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The teachers and staff are actively involved in the school’s growth and are positive about the school’s continuous success.
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There is active communication in both English and Japanese between all school stakeholders - students, parents, teachers, staff, and the larger community.
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The school has a very supportive and faith-based school climate for the students. The students expressed that their social-emotional needs are met and feel safe to speak up.
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The capacity of the teachers and staff is strong and very capable of achieving the action plans.
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Students are motivated to learn and appreciate the learning opportunities.
The Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a world-renowned accrediting association and one of the six regional accrediting agencies in the United States, works closely with the Office of Overseas Schools under the U.S. Department of State. WASC assists schools worldwide, especially in California, Hawaii, Guam, Asia, the Pacific Region, the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Accreditation is a collaborative self-reflection and evaluation of all aspects of the school's program and its impact on student learning and well-being based on the WASC research-based criteria. Furthermore, accreditation is a certification to the public that the school is a trustworthy institution of education and well-being that is committed to continuous improvement.
WASC accreditation demonstrates:
The school is substantially accomplishing its stated purposes and functions identified as appropriate for an institution of its type. The school is meeting an acceptable level of quality by the WASC criteria adopted by the Accrediting Commission. Through the WASC accreditation cycle, the school conducts an in-depth self-study every three to six years; hosts an accreditation visit by fellow educators; and engages all stakeholders in a follow-up process of implementing, monitoring, and refining the resulting schoolwide action plan. The visiting committee's report and recommendations are submitted to the WASC Commission for review and action on accreditation.
To learn more about WASC and the accreditation process, visit www.acswasc.org.
The admission qualification is also recognized if, regardless of whether an international school is located in Japan or another country, the person has completed 12 years of education at an educational facility accredited by one of the international accreditation agencies (WASC, CIS, ACSI, NEASC, Cognia, COBIS).
1. If a school is accredited by WASC, CIS, ACSI, NEASC, Cognia, or COBIS, its graduates are qualified for admission to universities and Professional Training Colleges in Japan.
NLIS is also affiliated with the Christian Academy of Japan in Tokyo. CAJ is an accredited school with over 60 years of experience.
