The NWESD 189 Science Materials Center (SMC) cooperative was established by 3 districts in 2003, and has since grown to serve 25 districts across the northwestern Washington region. We offer a variety of services and options for districts. The goal of the SMC is always to save our districts money, and our teachers valuable time, while delivering a high quality, user-friendly product.
We are your SMC, and we work for you!
Contact us today to find out what we can do for your district.
- Kit Rental & Refurbishment – $185 per kit
- Initialization – First time setup. New kits $185, used kits variable cost.
- Kit Delivery – Cost is time + mileage.
- Customized Orders – Customized kits can only be purchased.
- Middle and High School materials order forms – To order only what you need.
- Storage – Kits kept at our facility when not in use, cost included in Rental price.
The SMC supports the following curriculum and publishers. Click the desired publisher name for more information.
- OpenSciEd
- Amplify Middle School
- Robotics
- Mystery Science
- Other limited options available upon request.
For a list of active kit titles currently supported by the SMC, click here: Active Titles.
What are the benefits of joining the SMC cooperative?
- Cost-effective refurbishment services to member districts.
- Efficient, responsive customer service for teachers and districts, ensuring that every kit leaves the facility complete, concise, and easy to teach.
- Purchasing and prepping of kit materials, including packing by lesson, and providing items that are require for the kit but not provided by the publisher.
- Customization options available for purchase.
- Being part of the cooperative also allows for sharing of kits between districts, keep costs low for everyone, and giving districts the opportunity to try kits out before fully committing to new curriculum.
What does kit rental entail and include?
- Rental kits are owned by either the SMC, or by cooperative districts.
- Stored at the SMC when not in use.
- Provided on a rotational schedule, on a first-come-first-serve basis.
- Refurbishment when not in use, which means replenishment of used consumable items, replacement of broken or missing items, and updates made, if needed.
- We request that all materials be returned with rental kits, including empty bags and unused consumable materials, as we reuse everything we can. Failure to return certain items limits our ability to provide materials for other students, and may incur a charge for your district.
How does the rotational schedule work?
- Kits are distributed on a synchronous rotation schedule so that every class in a given school is studying the same strand of science at the same time.
- Ideally, kits are used three times each school year, thus maximizing the utilization of kit investments.
- The kit rotation schedule allows 8 weeks in the classroom, and is staggered so that transport and replenishment proceed smoothly.
- Rotational Schedule:
- 1st Rotation – Pre-school year to December/January.
- 2nd Rotation – December/January to March/April
- 3rd Rotation – April to June
Who delivers the kits?
- Each district is responsible for the delivery and pick up of their assigned science kits.
- For those districts not able to pick up or deliver their kits, the SMC will coordinate the delivery (charges will be applied).
- If a teacher misses the scheduled pick up date, it is their responsibility to return the kit to the SMC.
What do I do if my kit arrives with materials missing?
Please call the SMC immediately and we’ll get the materials to you right away.
Why are there only enough materials in a kit for 8 groups or 16 pairs?
FOSS, STC, Amplify, and OpenSciEd science kits are sold with the intention of having students collaborate in 8 groups of 4, or 16 pairs. We also base our material numbers off this standard.
When is professional development for science?
View current workshops at www.pdenroller.org/nwesd/catalog
How do I fill out the order forms?
- For full kit order forms:
- Download the form and fill out the Required Information section first. We cannot fill orders without that information, so please ensure that section is filled out and accurate.
- Under the Order Check column, put a check or an X in the box corresponding to the kit title you’d like to order.
- For refill order forms:
- Download the form and fill out the Required Information section first. We cannot fill orders without that information, so please ensure that section is filled out and accurate.
- Under the Order Quantity column, input the number of items or sets you’d like to order, in the corresponding row.
- Items that are listed “each” are sold individually, and teachers can order as many as they need for however many classes they’re teaching.
- Please note: If something is listed as a set or pack, the number you input into the Order Quantity column will be the number of set or packs you will receive and be charged for. For example: Markers, set of 30, with 30 in the Order Quantity column = a delivery of 900 markers total and an equivalent charge. Keep this in mind as you order!
- In addition, if you’ve ordered materials before and can reuse them, or if you already have an item in your classroom you can use instead, there is no need to order more unless you are simply stocking your shelves.