Planner 101
How to (and not to) Use Your
Planner
Why do I need a planner anyway?
• The student planner has been designed by
teachers at Westridge to help you organize
your day and be successful at school. Even if
you don’t think you need your planner, you
do! It is expected that you will use your
planner every day, in every class.
• Here is some information about the planner
and how to use it successfully!
School Rules and Policies
• The school rules and policies are the first 10
cream colored pages in your planner. These
are things that you are expected to know.
This can be a great reference throughout the
year.
Hall Passes
• In order to go to your locker, the office, the
bathroom or anywhere else in the building
during class time, you MUST have your
planner and use the YELLOW hall passes that
are on the left hand side of each week.
• You may not use the passes in the front of
you planner. Rip those pages out!
• The hall pass must be filled in completely,
including:
the date
your destination
the time you left
the time you came back
your teacher’s initials
Using Your Planner in Class
• Every teacher throughout your day should have the class
work and the homework clearly posted in their room. It may
not be worded the same or be in the same place in every
room; you need to find out from each teacher what they
expect you to write in your planner.
• If there is no homework that day, do not leave it blank. Write
“none” or “nothing.”
• The PE teachers do not expect you to bring your planner into
the gym. However, you should still fill in your planner for PE
at some point in your day. If there is no homework, don’t
leave it blank – see bullet above. If you have a test coming
up or any homework, write that down.
• Use your planner as a check-off list. If you
complete a task in class or study hall, mark it
off. Make a mark next to things you didn’t
get done and need to finish at home. This
will make the end of the day and getting
things out of your locker to take home much
easier!
• Use a binder clip, paper clip or rubber band
to keep your place in your planner. As the
year goes on, it’s much faster to get it out
and fill it in if the you can open right up to
the correct week.
• Don’t rip pages out after the week is over.
The planner is a great record of what you
have done and when things were assigned.
You never know when you will need
information from past weeks.
• Make sure your name is on your planner, in
ink, where it is easy to see. When a planner
is left behind in a class, a teacher can easily
return it if your name is on it. Remember:
all of your planners are identical – it’s easy to
pick up the wrong one! Having your name
on it in ink helps to ensure that you will get it
back.
• Figure out what works for you. Label either
the hours or the classes along the left side of
the grid and be consistent. Once you come
up with the best system for you, filling it in
each hour will take no time at all!
You could win a prize!
• Throughout the year, the administration will
randomly choose a number for an
unannounced planner check. Each teacher
will check the planner of the student who has
that number on their class roster. If the
planner is completely filled out (no blanks at
all!), those students will get to go to the
office for a prize.
How Not to Use Your Planner
No labeling of
classes or hours.
Writing is
sloppy and
illegible.
Hall pass not
completely filled
out and messy.
EMPTY BOXES!
There really is no valuable information at all here!
How to Use Your Planner
Classes labeled
along the side.
Class work and
homework
clearly labeled.
Hall pass filled
out completely.
Things that are
done have a
check mark;
things that need
to be finished
have a star.
NO EMPTY
BOXES!