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Notion Build: Minimal Class Notes, GPA, And Non-Database Tables thumbnail

Notion Build: Minimal Class Notes, GPA, And Non-Database Tables

Red Gregory·
5 min read

Based on Red Gregory's video on YouTube. If you like this content, support the original creators by watching, liking and subscribing to their content.

TL;DR

Use “My Classes” as a hub database and connect separate Notes and Assignments databases through relation properties.

Briefing

A Notion class-notes dashboard can be built as a set of linked, self-updating databases—so grades, due dates, and class-specific notes all stay in sync without manual copy/paste. The core idea is to create a “My Classes” database as the hub, then connect separate databases for notes and assignments through relations and filters. From there, rollups and formulas surface what matters most: which assignments are due today or tomorrow, plus GPA and letter grades.

The layout starts with a gallery-style “My Classes” view. Each class card includes an instructor field (styled in a green theme), semester selection, and optional location. A notes section and an assignments section are populated via linked databases: when a note or assignment is created and related to a class, it automatically appears in that class’s card. Due dates are handled with a formula that checks whether assignment dates fall on “today” or “tomorrow,” and the dashboard can show multiple due items if more than one assignment matches.

For grading, the system uses a numeric grade property and two computed outputs: a U.S. 4.0 GPA and a U.S. letter grade. The formulas work by mapping grade percentages to thresholds—evaluating from highest to lowest so the correct GPA/letter grade appears reliably. A separate “Grades” view then aggregates results (including an average GPA calculation), giving a student a quick snapshot across multiple classes.

The notes side is designed for studying, not data entry. Each class has a “notes” page database connected back to “My Classes,” and each assignment has its own database entry with fields for assignment name, class relation, due date, and details/instructions. Files can also be attached per assignment or note, and lecture numbers can be stored so “Lecture 1 in English Comp” and “Lecture 2 in English Comp” remain searchable and consistent.

A major usability feature is templating inside the class notes page. The build uses inline templates (reusable blocks) to generate repeatable structures such as “Top Tier” headings, “Parent Concept” sections, quote blocks, and even “dumb tables” made with KaTeX syntax. These templates reduce setup time: once the first class template is created, duplicating it for another course only requires adjusting colors, filters, and the content structure.

Finally, the dashboard supports visual polish and quick scanning. Cover images can be added via direct GIF links (for example from Giphy), and the class cards can be configured to show cover images in the card preview. Filters allow the dashboard to be segmented by semester, and the due-today/due-tomorrow logic lets students check what’s urgent from the main dashboard view.

Overall, the build turns Notion into a lightweight academic system: one hub database, multiple linked databases, and formulas that keep grades and deadlines automatically updated—while templates make each class’s notes consistent and fast to write in later on.

Cornell Notes

The system builds a Notion academic dashboard around one hub database (“My Classes”) that links to separate databases for class notes and assignments. Relations and filters ensure that notes and assignments automatically appear under the correct class, while rollups and formulas compute due-today/due-tomorrow status and convert numeric grades into U.S. 4.0 GPA and letter grades. A dedicated Grades view aggregates results, including average GPA. To make writing notes efficient, the class notes page uses inline templates for repeatable study structures (top-tier headings, parent concepts, quotes, and KaTeX-based “dumb tables”). Duplicating the template for new courses is the fastest way to scale the setup.

How does the dashboard keep notes and assignments automatically tied to the right class?

It relies on relations between databases. “My Classes” is the hub. The “Notes” database includes a relation property called something like “class” that points back to “My Classes.” The “Assignments” database also includes a relation to “My Classes.” Inside each class page/card, linked database blocks are filtered so only items whose class relation contains the current class appear. That’s why creating a note or assignment with the correct class relation makes it show up instantly in the class’s notes/assignments sections.

What’s the mechanism for showing “due today” and “due tomorrow” on the dashboard?

Assignments store a due date in a date property. A formula then checks whether the due date equals today or tomorrow and returns a status (or includes the date in the rollup output) accordingly. Because the rollup/formula logic is tied to the assignments relation, multiple assignments can surface as multiple due dates when they match the filter criteria.

How are GPA and letter grades computed without manually calculating them?

Grades are stored as a numeric percentage (with a grade property defined as a number/percent). Two formulas then map that percentage to outputs: one formula produces the U.S. 4.0 GPA, and another produces the U.S. letter grade. The formulas evaluate thresholds from highest to lowest so the first matching range determines the result; if none match, the fallback is typically an F/zero.

Why use templates and KaTeX blocks inside class notes pages?

Templates reduce repetitive setup. Inline templates generate repeatable structures like “Top Tier” sections and “Parent Concept” blocks (often with toggles). KaTeX is used to create styled headers (centered text via math blocks) and to build “dumb tables” using array syntax—plain text tables that aren’t database tables. This makes the notes page visually consistent and faster to fill in.

What’s the fastest way to add a new class after building the first one?

Duplicate the existing class template/page (for example, duplicate “English Comp 2” to create “Cell Biology and Genetics” or “Anatomy”). Then adjust the template’s content: colors, which top-tier sections/toggles are included, and any filters that target the class relation. The heavy lifting—database structure, relations, and template blocks—stays in place.

How do cover images and visuals improve the student dashboard experience?

Class cards can use cover images, including GIFs. The workflow is to change the cover, choose link, and paste a GIF URL (for example from Giphy). For card display, the cover image can be configured via properties such as card preview (cover vs content). This turns the dashboard into a scannable “at a glance” view for classes and deadlines.

Review Questions

  1. If a new assignment doesn’t appear under a class’s assignments section, what relation and filter settings should be checked first?
  2. How would you modify the due-today/due-tomorrow formula logic if you wanted a “due this week” status instead?
  3. What advantages do inline templates provide compared with manually recreating note sections for every class?

Key Points

  1. 1

    Use “My Classes” as a hub database and connect separate Notes and Assignments databases through relation properties.

  2. 2

    Filter linked database blocks so each class page/card only shows notes and assignments related to that specific class.

  3. 3

    Compute due-today/due-tomorrow using a formula tied to assignment due dates, so deadlines surface automatically on the dashboard.

  4. 4

    Store numeric percentage grades and use formulas to derive U.S. 4.0 GPA and U.S. letter grades, then aggregate in a Grades view.

  5. 5

    Design class notes pages with inline templates (toggles/blocks) to standardize study sections like top-tier topics, parent concepts, and quotes.

  6. 6

    Create “dumb tables” with KaTeX array syntax for pros/cons or structured comparisons without using database tables.

  7. 7

    Scale to new courses by duplicating an existing class template and adjusting filters, colors, and the note structure.

Highlights

A single hub (“My Classes”) plus relations and filters makes notes, assignments, due dates, and grades update automatically per class.
Due-today/due-tomorrow is driven by a date-based formula on assignments, enabling a quick “what’s urgent” dashboard view.
GPA and letter grades come from threshold-mapping formulas applied to stored percentage grades, avoiding manual grade conversions.
Inline templates and KaTeX-based headers/tables turn a generic Notion page into a consistent, study-friendly class notes system.

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