WARNING: if you put text in your Normal.dot as suggested by Anne, that text
will also carry over to labels and envelopes.  If you ever try to use those
features, they will be screwed up by the text in your Normal.dot.

It's a toss-up whether you waste more time trying to sort that out than you
saved by having text in Normal.dot. Depends on whether you remember this
warning by the time you need labels, really.

You might instead create a "Class Notes" template and put a shortcut to it
on the desktop, and use that shortcut whenever you want one of these
documents.
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/customization/CreateATemplatePart1.htm

If you want to learn more about Normal.dot, see also:
http://word.mvps.org/faqs/customization/CustomizeNormalTemplate.htm